The Most Expensive Sestertii

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by Roman Collector, Aug 27, 2020.

  1. Blake Davis

    Blake Davis Well-Known Member

    Looks fine to me!
     
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  3. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

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  4. Blake Davis

    Blake Davis Well-Known Member

    Stunning coins - simply beautiful - and proves the point I made in my post on this thread.
     
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  5. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    Although it may had not been called in the Rasenna language as a Sestertius, it was tariffed at 2-1/2 Asses, which was a fourth of a 10-As Denarius.

    My Favorite “Sestertius”

    [​IMG]
    upload_2020-8-28_23-12-2.png Rasenna, Fufluna, (Etruria, Populonia)
    2 ½ asses , AR 0.85 g
    3rd century BC
    Obv: Radiate female head r.; behind, IIC (Retrograde)
    Rev: Blank.
    Ref: EC 104 (misdescribed, Female head with an Attic helmet). Historia Numorum Italy 179.
    NAC Comment: Of the highest rarity, apparently only the second specimen known. Dark patina and about very fine.
    Ex: From the collection of E.E. Clain-Stefanelli

    E.E. CLAIN-STEFANELLI DIES
    ANS Executive Director Ute Wartenburg reported that
    Elvira Eliza Clain-Stefanelli died Oct. 1, 2001 of cardiac
    arrest. Mrs. Stefanelli retired in 2000 as the Senior
    Curator of the National Numismatic Collection in the
    Numismatics Division of the National Museum of
    American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington,
    DC.

    She was at the Smithsonian for forty years, and was
    responsible with her husband Vladimir for organizing and
    building up the National Numismatic Collection. She
    survived a Nazi concentration camp in WWII Europe,
    moved to Rome, and learned numismatics there. In New
    York she and her husband worked for Stack's and started
    the Coin Galleries division there
     
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  6. TypeCoin971793

    TypeCoin971793 Just a random guy on the internet

    This was a gift from Ken Dorney in one of his Christmas giveaways. I loved @TIF ’s idea of a “travel sestertius”, so this one has traveled the world with me, which makes it my most prized (not that I have many to choose from ;) ).

    253FC003-780F-43AE-A05A-78EF0B52B9E7.jpeg 75B8B397-F23B-4538-8A9B-DAD493AD365D.jpeg
     
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  7. hotwheelsearl

    hotwheelsearl Well-Known Member

    Apparently provincials aren't considered Sesterii, but when am I ever going to be afford a real sestertius...
    Gordian III AMNG 82.JPG
     
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  8. GregH

    GregH Well-Known Member

    I'll contribute my Paulina sestertius. It's not perfect, but i think the portrait is rather nice.

    [​IMG]
     
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  9. GregH

    GregH Well-Known Member

    Also my Gordian I Africanus. I'll upgrade it one day when i have some spare change.

    [​IMG]
     
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  10. Clavdivs

    Clavdivs Well-Known Member

    Sometimes just holding a very large ancient coin in hand allows you to appreciate what it is, dismiss its faults...and enjoy its history. We can also wonder how this amazing artifact survived for us to enjoy.. how lucky are we?
    35mm and 30.75 grams..

    upload_2020-8-29_2-16-13.png
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2020
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  11. Julius Germanicus

    Julius Germanicus Well-Known Member

    Sestertii will aways fetch a multitude of the price of a Denarius or Antoninianus of the same Emperor in the same grade of conservation, just because so very few AE coins have survived centuries of circulation and in the ground intact.

    There are only a handful of true FDC Sestertii known today, compared to thousands of Denaii. None of my bonzes would even qualify as EF, even though this is a most common grade for silver coins.

    Nevertheless, I would not trade my Sestertii against better preseved silver coins. They just have something majestic about them. I especially like the 3rd century portrait art. Here are Macrinus, Maximinus Thrax, Paulina and Gordian I:

    Bildschirmfoto 2020-08-29 um 12.45.01.png
    Bildschirmfoto 2020-08-29 um 12.45.16.png
     
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  12. Herodotus

    Herodotus Well-Known Member


    [​IMG]

    Interesting. I've seemingly never noticed that Etruscan writing was written from right to left, or that they invented the letter 'F' as 8.

    Cool.

    Learn something new everyday.
     
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  13. Julius Germanicus

    Julius Germanicus Well-Known Member

    Hi Greg,
    I just noticed that your Paulina (Banti 1 / Alram 38d-5 with 52 specimens listed by Banti, 44 by Alram, and 70 in my own die study) is from the same obverse die as my Sestertius shown above and that it shares it´s reverse die with that of our CT friend Bing.
     
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  14. GregH

    GregH Well-Known Member

    Amazing!

    And I have serious coin envy after seeing your sestertii! I’m a one-per-ruler collector & i haven’t paid too much attention to whether it’s bronze, silver or gold (I’ll even settle for provincial) - as long as I have one coin of every ruler. But seeing the magnificence of sestertii I might have to end up collecting one-per-ruler in both bronze and silver! (Gold seems slightly out of reach for me - except 4th/5th century solidi, but by that time in history, the portrait art is pretty generic)
     
  15. Cucumbor

    Cucumbor Well-Known Member

    Looking at those beauties one can understand why sestertii are considered as kings of roman coinage.

    My most expensive, and most beautiful (to my eyes) sestertii

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]

    Q
     
  16. Edessa

    Edessa Well-Known Member

    Not particularly beautiful but another BM die duplicate (BMCRE 189; website R.15840).

    Septimius Severus, AD 193-211. Æ Sestertius (30mm, 19.76g, 6h). Rome mint. Struck AD 210. Obv: L SEPT SEVERVS PIVS AVG; Laureate head right, Rev: P M TR P XVIII COS III P P; Septimius Severus standing left in military dress, holding Victory on extended right hand and vertical scepter in left hand; he is crowned by Virtus standing left behind him, holding transverse spear in left hand, S - C low in left and right fields. Ref: RIC 797var; BMCRE 189.

    zzzb.jpg
     
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  17. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    This little guy is the real AR Roman Sestertius that started it all...

    AR SESTERTIUS of the ROMAN REPUBLIC
    upload_2020-8-29_10-30-28.png
    Roman Republic
    AR Sestertius
    After 211 BCE
    12mm 1.0g
    Rome mint
    Roma right, IIS behind - (denomination of 2 (II) Asses and a Semis - 2-1/2 Asses = 1/4 of a Denarius) (Until approx 140 BCE it was 10 Asses to a Denarius. Later it became 16 Asses to a Denarius)
    Dioscuri riding stars in ex ROMA
    Sear 46 Craw 44-7 RSC 4
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2020
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  18. Fugio1

    Fugio1 Well-Known Member

    Here's an early one in context.
    44-5-A1-B-X-V-IIS.jpg
     
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  19. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

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  20. jamesicus

    jamesicus Well-Known Member

    This is an impossible task for me - I dearly love all my (mostly Julio-Claudian) Sestertii and I really am at a loss how to apply a ranking or ascribe monetary worth to any of them. So I will post a few in a series of posts. Here are a couple to start with:


    [​IMG]
    Sestertius, RIC Vol. I, Rome, No. 112, 50-54AD (36mm, 28.2gm)

    Obverse depiction: Claudius, bare neck laureate bust, facing right

    Inscription: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG PM TRP IMP PP

    Reverse depiction: Civic Oak Wreath

    Inscription in four lines:

    EX SC
    P P
    OB CIVES
    SERVATOS

    (within Civic wreath)


    [​IMG]
    RIC Vol. I, CLAUDIUS, SESTERTIUS, Rome, No. 99 41-50 AD, (36mm, 25.3gm)

    Obverse depiction: Claudius, bare neck laureate bust, facing right

    Inscription clockwise from bottom: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG PM TRP IMP

    Reverse depiction: Personification of Spes holding flower in right hand and demurely raising skirt with left hand

    Inscription clockwise from bottom: SPES AVGVSTA - S C (exergue)
     
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  21. jamesicus

    jamesicus Well-Known Member


    [​IMG]
    RIC Vol. I, CLAUDIUS, SESTERTIUS, Rome, No. 109, 42-43 AD (38mm, 28.0gm) BMCRE, Vol1, No. 208, Plate 36-8

    Obverse depiction: Nero Claudius Drusus, bare head facing left
    Inscription: NERO CLAVDIVS DRVSVS GERMANICVS IMP
    Reverse depiction: Claudius seated left on curule chair holding olive branch, weapons and armor beneath
    Inscription: TI CLAVDIVS CAESAR AVG PM TRP IMP PP - S C (exergue)
     
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